- Author: Launa Herrmann
Whatever our hobby or area of expertise, eventually we can expect to encounter a word we don't know. But nothing quite prepared me for that first hour of the first day of the 2012 Master Gardener Training Class. Pomology. Olericulture. Biromial. The rapid fire unfamiliar nomenclature was mind-boggling — and humbling.
Here I was, a gardener all my adult life. During my 30-years as a court reporter, I'd heard plenty of words, even written several thousand myself as a book author and freelance writer, and had taught writing workshops on weekends. Surely my work and life experiences count for something.
Nope. The unfamiliar words kept coming. One Friday morning during the training class, fasciation was mentioned. I'm so glad I was paying attention because that word was not only the answer to the “Internet Question for Final 2012” but also explains a couple anomalies I've observed in my own garden since then. Perhaps you've seen a similar distortion in a blossom, stem or leaf in your vegetable or flower bed.
To illustrate what I mean, take a look at the photos below. When you compare the first two photos of a normal geranium leaf with the three photos of an abnormal geranium leaf, the anomaly is unmistakable. The cells malfunctioned. The leaf is distorted.
But the good news here is my geranium plants are just fine. Fasciation is not a big deal. While some fasciations may be the result of a viral or bacterial infection, others are genetic. In the majority of cases, however, the cause is unknown.
However you choose to describe this leaf distortion, whether odd or beautiful, you have to admit the shape is both captivating and unique for a geranium. Simply stated, fasciation is fascinating.